Sons of Chaos
by Izzy Slick
Summary: Eric and Michael are the only sons of Damien of Choas. What happens when their father leaves them on a strange shadow to fend for themselves. This was written before I finished reading the series, so forgive me for any mistakes. WIP


Disclaimer: The characters in this chapter are mine. The concepts and terms belong to Roger Zelazny, well, most of 'em.

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Sons of Choas

Chapter 1

The sound of horse hooves on gravel sounded all around. A ray of sunlight fell across the face of a young boy as he slept. He cracked open one eye, then the other. For a while he did nothing but lie still, then suddenly, as if electricuted, he bolted up right. He looked around, bemused, searching for some kind explanation as to why he was here. His confinement was not large; the walls on his left and right were near two metres in hieght and made of wood, as was the ceiling. Raking a hand through his blonde hair, he looked down at the lump of blankets next to him that must have been his brother. Dark brown hair was protruding from the cloth, but nothing else was visible.

Panic shot through him like a bullet, but he stayed quiet. The last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to himself. If they were being kidnapped, he thought it best to remain silent until he had more control over the situation.

Drawing his knees up to his chest, the boy searched around his semi-dark confinement for something to do. His eyes fell upon a book at his feet. Picking it up, he flicked to the centre and found nothing. Absolutely nothing. He loved to read, and write, almost as much as he loved fencing, and to give him an empty book was damn near torture at a time like this. Closing his eyes, he wished for his favourite book, 'Guns Of Avalon' By Ramona A. Stone. When he re-opened them, there were words on the previously empty pages. He began to read: '...As the battle raged on, I watched, as if through a window. I focused the crystal bubble on to a warrior clad in black and blood red clothing-'. Stopping there, the boy quickly flipped to the first page and skimmed through. It was exactly like 'Guns Of Avalon'. Word for word. So he read, losing himself in the world of words.

Hours later, the cart made a sudden stop. The sound of hooves ceased, only to be replaced by the sound of a person landing on the ground and walking around the cart. The entrance was flung open and the boy shielded his eyes from the sudden light.

"Eric?"

"Yes...father?" replied the twelve-year old, removing his hands from his eyes.

"Why did you not tell me you were awake? I would've stopped."

"Sorry, dad, didn' know it was you. I was just being cautious, you know? Incase we were being kidnapped," said Eric.

"Smart. Very smart, lad. You've got a good mind there kiddo, I hope you put it to good use."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll explain soon. Now, come on, I'm sure you'd like to stretch a bit."

Eric looked at his father in polite confusion, then:

"But...What about Mike...shouldn't..." he was silenced as his dad raised a hand.

"I will wake him, no need to worry."

Deciding to ask questions later, Eric slid down from the cart and landed with a dull 'thud' on the ground. He brushed off the dirt from his dark green and silver satin clothing and scanned his surroundings. The first thing that came to his attention was that the grass, upon which he stood, was not the normal colour green, but a strange shade of blue. He leaned down and touched it, and was further suprised when his fingers contacted with what felt very much like silk. Standing up, Eric saw a tree, about two hundred yards ahead. He stretched, got into a running position and bolted off towards the tree, reaching it in seconds. He tapped the trunk and ran back.

"Father, what is this new world?" Eric asked, as he fell back onto the silky grass near his father. He stared up at the cloudless sky, feeling his brother, Michael, lay down next to him.

"'Bout time you woke up," he muttered to Mike.

"Eric, Michael, come here, I have something for you," called their father. The two scrambled to their feet and raced to where their father stood.

"Here you are," was all he said as he handed each of them some thing that looked like a bracelet. The boys took one each and watched as the jewel snaked up and around their wrists.

"What are they?" Mike asked, staring in awe at the thin object pulsing around his wrist.

"I'll leave that for you to figure out, but I will tell you this; if it feels like it's trying to cut off your circulation, you'd best have a weapon on you and they react better if they have a name." With that, he turned around and strode to the horses.

"But father, where are we? Why are we here?" Eric shouted after him.

"You, my sons, are here to grow up and learn to survive, I shall return for you when it is time for you to walk the Pattern and Logrus. Don't get yourselves killed." He then lifted himself onto one of the horses and took off, not looking back.

"FATHER!" Eric screamed.

But the raging scream of the boy never reached his father's ears.

"Well, what do we do now," asked Mike, looking around.

"We look for shelter," Eric stated as he began walking.

Hours later, Mike fell back against a tree, panting.

"Eric...we gotta...rest," he breathed, exhausted.

"Not until we find somewhere safe." Eric kept walking, remaining in the same pace as when he started. He got no further then five feet passed Mike, when the bracelet cut into his fore arm, nearly drawing blood. Spinning around, he faced Mike, who was glaring at his own arm in agitation.

"How do you make this thing stop?" he asked no one in particular.

"Mike, don't move," Eric warned, moving very slowly towards his brother.

"What the..."

"Shut up!"

Suddenly, something large pounced on Eric. It pinned him to the ground with its clawed hands, as Eric released a cry of shock and pain. Mike stood frozen, staring in fear at the large, blue furred creature (that looked remarkably like a mutated dog) gnarling at his brother. Eric struggled momentarily before kicking the beast over him into a tree. He scrambled to his feet and faced the monster. His assailant quickly recovered, baring its rather enormous and sharp teeth, but Eric stood his ground, showing no fear. Again, he felt a constriction on his arm.

"You stand no chance, mortal," it stated.

"We'll see," was Eric's quite reply, as he cast his eyes away from his opponent. He snatched up a stick, and moved into a fighting position. A rush of adrenelin coursed through his body as a short sword made of a dark steel appeared in the creature's four fingered hand. It laughed.

"Why don't you just surrender, and save yourself the trouble."

"I am no coward!"

"As you wish," and then it attacked. Eric tried to parry, but the blade cut straight through the wood. He managed to dodge the next few attacks.

"Don't just stand there. Help me!" he screamed at Mike, as he barely avoided the blade.

Mike needn't be told twice. He picked up a rock, and pelted it, hitting the Fury (as it was called) in the back of the neck. Eric took this opportunity and clasped his assailant's arm, easily braking it. The sword barely touched the ground before Eric held it, touching the tip to the Fury's throat. It looked up to meet his eyes. Suprise passed through its big orbs.

"Why do you slay me, young prince?" it questioned, but received only a scowl in reply. Then:

"My father has told me many times not to...dispose...of his subjects," a breath of relief was released from the would-be murderer's mouth, "and I take no pleasure in doing so, but it was yourself who started this dual, and I intend to finish it," he said, before thrusting the blade into the throat of the creature from the Courts of Chaos.

Eric let go of the hilt, turned and continued walking. Mike at his heel.

A few miles further down, Eric spotted a cave and went in, moving to the very back. He removed his cloak, lay on the floor and covered himself with it, falling into a deep sleep.

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Review or don't, the next chapter's coming soon.


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